The Beifong family home was a veritable treasure trove of pleasant opportunities and synonymous with the right way of life. It wasn't just the way they treated guests like me, but the little things that Toff didn't even notice: the bathhouse, the beautiful bathtubs, the masseuses, and other delights of a literally perfect life that desert dwellers would never see. Coming from a poor background and having tasted the fruits of pleasure, I quickly got used to such conditions — I could not consider myself an ascetic or any other advocate of a modest life, the image of which was extolled by the Guru in all his works.
"A beautiful life corrupts," they wrote, giving this way of life a negative aura and an image of weakness. Even if I wanted to become a Guru, could I have accelerated my training progress and increased the output of my development if it weren't for the conditions that had a positive effect on all aspects of my progress? No. I just needed to know how to handle the opportunities presented to me. I am truly happy! But why, then, did my chakra never open?
It seems like I've been here for over a week, trying all kinds of approaches to Tof and changing her worldview, even though I couldn't turn her into a completely different person — that's impossible, I'm not a mission capable of curing haemorrhoids with the touch of a hand — but I did an excellent job as a spiritual mentor, gradually removing the complexes that had been instilled in her by her parents. The same could be said about my own development, which was progressing rapidly. There was nothing that could have made me happier. So what did this damn chakra want? Wasn't it up to me to decide when I was satisfied and not guilty? It seemed not.
Anubis also hid this information from me and didn't say a word about it from the very beginning of my training. But even silence could be interpreted in a special way — perhaps there was something I hadn't done yet, or something was supposed to happen, and I just had to wait? This thought ran through my head for several days, along with thoughts about what I could do while my standard daily schedule of eating, training, and sleeping remained unchanged. Lao Beifong wanted to talk. To me personally, alone.
As expected, Lao appeared in a very serious mood from the very first seconds. The head of the clan greeted me in a business black suit, with his hair tied back in a bun. It took me less than a second to realise that this was going to be an important conversation — Lao rarely wore anything other than his traditional green outfit. In the past, the status of the richest man was demonstrated either through business conversations with the butler or his wife, but now the atmosphere created itself — I was on a knife's edge.
"You may sit down," he finally said in a calm tone, pointing to a place at the table. As I approached, I quickly caught the scent of expensive perfume — in fact, there were many, literally hundreds of tiny details that demonstrated his status and higher position, but due to my limited experience in dealing with such people, I couldn't say exactly how he created such an atmosphere. Perhaps it was simply a matter of experience and his gaze, which sent shivers down my spine and seemed to read me like a book. "Allow me to express my gratitude first. Ahem, the practices and physical exercises you advised me to do have worked. My sex life with my wife has improved.
"Oh... you're welcome. People sometimes forget to do something so simple, but you're lucky you're a magician, otherwise you wouldn't have achieved such quick results.
"Actually, I'm genuinely amazed by your knowledge of physiology and herbal medicine," he said, looking into my eyes and rubbing his chin. "Not only did you help me, but your influence is also having a positive effect on Tof's health — the most precious thing I have. I'm even surprised that you haven't asked for a raise for all your hard work. Are you too shy to talk to me, or do you think that my daughter's health isn't important to me?"
Lao even frowned. This was definitely not a man with whom one should casually mention family, or even stutter about it at all.
"I don't think you understand," he said with a gentle smile, finding a way out. "The emotional state of mages directly affects their magic. All I'm doing is continuing to teach her the basic techniques, simply strengthening her foundation so that her body and magic are in perfect harmony.
"Oh, that's how you see it. That makes sense — I was told how you play Pai Shou, and honestly, I didn't believe it at first. A blind girl memorises the pieces and moves the chips without looking — most likely fantasy, but you showed a similar trick.
The pressure in the room increased, while a smile blossomed on my face. Warm and truly joyful.
"Tof shows great promise. She used to not understand me at all and would retreat into silence, but now she's starting to engage in conversation more often, and the magic tricks are coming much easier to her.
"But then... maybe in that case, you'd like to stay at my house to watch not just her magic, but her body?
"What?
"I'm talking about becoming her personal bodyguard," Lao leaned forward meaningfully and immediately took a large wad of banknotes from a drawer in the table. "Magician of Sand, who has become famous for his extraordinary magical abilities, I am offering you more than just training. You have shown yourself to be an intelligent man, which is a rarity among soldiers and assassins. I often have to resolve conflicts between unreasonable people who are eager to show their strength before demonstrating their intelligence. You have never shown any aggression, not even in front of me, or even in front of my servants. Imagine if the cook wasn't as calm as you.
"...
"That's why I'm offering you a contract. During the day, when Tof is out, you will act as her bodyguard while continuing your training in the basics of magic. And in the evening, when there is no one to watch over, you will work for me as well... dealing with the most conflict-prone people I mentioned; helping my family grow and improve their status. Your life will become a real paradise. Although, you may have to get your hands dirty... but that's not so bad, is it?
"Choose:"
Anubis' message popped up just as a shadow fell across my face. The man whose surname was synonymous with the word "power" spoke to me in a light, flirtatious tone. He was truly a man who had nothing to fear — there was so much money on the table in front of me that I could have returned to the desert and bought up every settlement there. I could have bought every person's life and built my own empire. But was it worth it? The desert would remain a dead place, no matter what happened there, and here, if not life, then a real paradise, requiring only a small amount of work.
So what could the consequences be?
"1 - Accept the agreement (You will have a full future. You will become the personal bodyguard of Tof Beifong and the chain dog of Lao Beifong. The life you wanted could be yours at this very moment. Most likely, you will have to break your promise to Wang Xing Tong and give up the lifestyle of the Air Nomads - killing people will be inevitable. The path to opening your chakras will be blocked due to your inability to comply with the conditions).
2 - Refuse (You are giving up material goods and quick results in favour of personal development. You will not receive any rewards, and your refusal will be seen as an insult, but this choice will allow you to follow the path of the unyielding spirit).
That's it... just two. So few, but it was really difficult to find the right words in this situation. I couldn't speak at all because of the lump in my throat.
"Dagoth?" Lao tilted his head. He wanted an answer quickly and was urging me on, but how could I... my heart was aching. And it wasn't even an attack or anything else that could cut my life short like last time, but the wild pounding of my heart.
Could I become a normal person? Not an ephemeral fool with a lucky ticket, but with a guarantee of a better life? I could have become so strong that failure would no longer play a significant role — yes, events would definitely continue to throw obstacles in my path, and I didn't even need to be Nostradamus to understand that, but here it was! All I had to do was reach for the wad of banknotes on the table and become the happy owner of a golden spoon.
Perhaps with my status, I would even find a wife, and by the time the Avatar arrived, I would even be able to train Toph to become a true Master... or would everything turn out differently?
Could Lao allow his daughter to go with the Avatar? No way, he's not the kind of man who would put her at risk, which means... it's up to me to stand in the Avatar's way and prevent Toph from leaving? No problem, I could maintain contact with the White Lotus and direct the Avatar to another earthbending master! But will I be lucky?
Anubis, damn you... What do you mean, I'll have a full future? What do you mean?
"You seem upset by my offer?" Lao said in surprise, not expecting me to cover my face with my hand and quietly curse the endless possibilities of the future. I could only rely on my strategic experience gained from playing Pai Shao, which told me that life might be good, but the concentration of problems, due solely to my luck, would increase exponentially.
Could the world have survived without significant losses if the first Metal Mage had not appeared? The White Lotus would have to rely again on dreams of a good Avatar, and even I cannot say whether he would be able to defeat Oza without destroying a third of the world in the process. And most importantly, I will never be the master of my own destiny. Although, what good would that do me — a title that only I would know about, while the world... it would recover anyway. Anubis said that the future would be fulfilling, so what else is there to think about?
"Af," said a quiet voice that appeared in the corner of the office. Afka was hiding from Lao and looking at me very intently. I don't know if it was my imagination or if I was having a pre-emptive hallucination, but it seemed to me that Afka's sound formed something meaningful. "In words that I could even make out," I muttered.
"You owe me new knowledge" and "Deal with your problems faster."
A cheeky tone, a dismissive attitude towards the person I was talking to... but at the same time, faith in the choice I would make. Because if I didn't make it, I would be consumed by guilt.
"Hah," I closed my eyes and sniffed, forcing my chance at a bright future to frown heavily. Greed is a vice that must be eliminated. You should watch your words, you moustachioed fool.
"Wh-what? Lao ran his two whiskers in surprise.
"I'm not talking about you," he said, wiping his wet eyes and looking genuinely dejected.
"We're alone in this room!" he jumped to his feet.
"No, we are surrounded by great spirits," I continued sincerely, fighting the pain in my heart and making Lao frown even more. I was making him question his sanity. "In any case, I would have to refuse you. I have great respect for Tof, but to continue living here... Maybe we could agree on just a couple of months of training, and then we'll go our separate ways?"
"What?" That angered him more than anything I had said before. I could feel, if not see, the anger rising sharply towards me. "You don't want to protect my daughter, even though I literally gave you a chance that will never come again in your meaningless life?"
Happiness was slipping away. Not ephemerally, not fantastically, but quite realistically — I was fucked up, unwilling to give up the benefits I had praised that morning, the money I had received for almost nothing, and to question my level of comfort. I... I was used to it.
"I knew that stupid soldiers couldn't make informed and competent decisions. There can't be such a stupid person around my daughter," he was practically steaming with rage. "Get out, or I'll have the security guards throw you out."
I really shouldn't have brought up the subject of his daughter. People like that can't see the log in their own eye, and then they get aggressive over anything. I used to think that associating with people like that was beneath me.
"As you say," he wasn't even afraid. With such power, he had no reason to fear a loser like me. "By the way... Tof won't be able to change and accept her current life. She doesn't have the kind of personality that can change. When I first saw her, I thought she was a monolith, but that was my mistake. She's steel," I didn't forget to mention as I approached the office door.
"T-y-y...
I had to leave as quickly as possible. As if with these words, I could somehow ease the pain of the things I was losing. At that moment, insults could be heard coming from Lao's office, and the servants passing by huddled together and whispered about something. The guards looked confused as I left the estate with my bags and held out my hand so that a fox that had appeared out of nowhere could jump onto it.
When I left the grounds, I stopped at the riverbank and looked at the flowing water with a devastated expression. Yes, I had taken and broken my chance — there was no Boomer who could come and miraculously solve all my problems, bringing me glory along the way. I had a chance, and I calmly threw it away.
"And all to be sure that the world won't be destroyed! Although, to be honest... I probably love it when my life goes to hell.
"Ugh... phew," at that moment, a breathless voice sounded behind me. My senses instantly activated and allowed me to see a little girl, to whom I slowly turned. "Are you... completely stupid? Why did you run away so suddenly?
I was surprised that she appeared in front of me at a time when she was definitely being searched for.
"I thought we were going to have a night tournament in Pai Sho...
"Not anymore," I replied sadly. "I guess I did everything I could. I can't control steel, I can only spark your interest in self-improvement, but I can't change you. I'm no guru, just like you're no battle mage.
"Hey!" She frowned at the reproach. Then, immediately, she fell silent. "Are you... leaving?"
"Problems with the boss. Now I understand how you feel, I really sympathise with you. Although, with your character, you'll be able to survive, and who knows, maybe after my guidance, you'll discover your chakras. In any case... it was nice talking to you. I'm going to continue discovering joy - that damn ephemeral and subjective crap.
"Are you completely stupid? - I had only just managed to get up and start walking along the river towards the city, wondering how far I would have to go to get to Kioshi Island, when a small pebble hit me in the back." "You were a terrible teacher, I didn't understand a thing you said.
"...
"But then... it became fun. You're a rare weirdo, but now I also want jammonite rings and to use my parents to buy ointments - because it's fucking cool," he said cheerfully, poking my fingers, which were adorned with colourful stones. "I want to be a stylish mage like you, so that legends will be told about me as the man who developed a whole new branch of earth magic! And so that just one mention of my name will cause some people to have heart attacks and others to fall to their knees as if they'd just seen a cook.
I slowly lowered my head.
"What are you talking about? I'm serious, you're... a cool friend. And not boring like those guys in the arena. My life was hell, but you showed me how to have fun.
"Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!" Unable to hold back his laughter, his head flew up and a cackle escaped his throat. It was a sneering laugh that made Tof clench his fists and blush in confusion. "A stylish wizard? What nonsense, Afka, have you been listening?"
"Furk.
"I agree, I was created to scare children, not to inspire admiration. And with these rings, I look more like a rapper than a cool guy," I didn't even notice how a strange burden had been lifted from my heart, and an amazing lightness spread through my body. "Ms. Tof, do you want some trinkets? Take them, I don't mind.
"What...?" Frowning in complete confusion, she raised her hands to catch the piece of jewellery flying towards her.
"Just don't put it in your mouth, you'll turn into a goat, and not a living one, but a statue," Toff excitedly squeezed the gift between her palms and watched my receding figure with her mouth half open. "And don't forget to take advantage of it. You are the heiress of the richest family — don't screw this chance up like I did.
Taking up the strap and keeping a smile on my face, I headed away from Gaolin. And when I felt Tof excitedly raise one hand, silently saying goodbye to me... I couldn't bring myself to not wave back. Without turning around. Because only now, after Tof's words, did I realise that my main strength lay in the magic of fuck-ups. And that image was, in fact, the only good thing in my life.
"Hey, Afka, any ideas?
"What do you mean?
"How do we open the third chakra now?
***
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